4 common mae ukemi errors

Common mistake 1

When rolling, the head stays is not tilted, so it will touch the mat when executing the roll. It's not that dangerous if done on mat but it's pretty painful if done on a harder surface such as concrete. This improper head position can also cause sudden baldness :).

Common mistake 2

Upper body is not moving forward, but towards between the legs. Bum is not over and above the point supporting your weight but away from the line of the roll. This makes the roll unstable and you will also roll on your spine, on your side.

Common mistake 3

Rear leg remains extended after pushing yourself forward, which will suddenly absorb the energy of the roll instead of leaving enough energy to use for standing up at the end. In a worse case, when it hits the mat your heel can get injured.

Common mistake 4

Still concerning the position of the rear leg, it happens when your rear leg is tucked in but the knee doesn't point sideways at the end of the roll, but it points downwards which is a sign that your leg/foot remained in the middle. This can also stop the rolling motion and it can make it hard to roll over this leg towards the end of the roll. Obviously, standing up like this will also be harder.

Needless to say, these common mistakes often appear in combination, and there are, obviously, other mistakes to correct as well. If you have a video about yourself making these mistakes or any others you would like to show or discuss, please send it to us, or send the link to us. Plain comments are also very welcome.

In case you want to see a positive and step-by-step approach to learning ukemi, please visit our Instructional videos section.